The present invention relates to radiography in general, and more particularly to improvements in containers or cassettes for X-ray film.
It is known to assemble a container for X-ray film from two sections which are connected by one or more hinges and can be moved with respect to each other between open and closed positions. It is also known to equip such containers with locking devices which maintain the sections in closed positions when the sections confine an X-ray film, and to provide the containers with connections for evacuation of air from their interior.
Certain presently known containers for X-ray film, especially those which are used for the making of mammograms, are equipped with a foil (so-called intensifying screen) which enhances the contrast of the X-ray image and reduces the quantity of radiation to which a female patient must be exposed during imaging of her breasts. The quantity of radiation is reduced because the interval of exposure to X-rays is shorter due to the provision of the contrast-enhancing screen. A prerequisite for satisfactory cooperation between the contrast-enhancing or intensifying screen and X-ray film is that the film is placed as close to the screen as possible and that the pressure between each portion of film and the screen is uniform. As a rule, the film is connected to the screen by a discrete clamping or holding device before the thus obtained sandwich is inserted into a conventional container. The clamping devices, the means for preventing penetration of light, and the hinges which couple the sections of conventional containers to each other contribute excessively to the complexity, bulk and cost of such devices.